Brooder and hover.



M- V. FOSTER'& l. P. ARMITAGE.

BROODERAND HOVER.

APPLICATION FILED-NOV. 21. 1915.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

gluwnt zfi M. v. FOSTER I. I? ARW AGE 'UNTTED STATES PATEN T @FFTQE.

MYRTLE V. FOSTER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, AND IDA PEARL ABMITAGE, OF BATTLE CREEK,

I MICHIGAN.

BROODER AND HOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

To all wiwm it may c0nce1'n Be it known that we, lsh'R'rLE V. FOSTER and IDA P. Amrrraon, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Grand Rapids and Battle Creek, in the counties of Kent and Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Brooders and Hovers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawf ings Our invention relates to brooders and hovers for raising chickens, and the general object of our invention is the provlslon of a sanitary rodent-proof, fireless brooder which maybe cheaply made of galvanized sheet metal and wire gauze and Which may be readily arranged either for a brooder or a hover as desired.

A further object of our invention is the provision of improved means whereby the brooder and hover may be ventilated and whereby the amount of this ventilation may be readily controlled. I

Still another object of our invention is the provision of very simple means whereby a hover cloth may be disposed withiifthe.

brooder or removed therefrom.

Other objectswill appear in the course of the following description.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diametrical sectional view of a brooder and hover constructed in accordance with our invention, the drawing showing the brooder when used as a hover; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of one of the rings for holding the hover cloth in place; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the roof and the catch which is adapted to engage with the ventilator to hold it in its adjusted p0- sitions.

In the drawings, 2 designates a sidewall of the brooder and hover, which may be circular or of any other desired form. This side wall is provided with a door opening 3 and the door at and is preferably lined upon its interior face with flannel 5 or other suitable material. The top or roof 6 of the hover is also made of galvanized sheet metal and is annular in form to provide a central opening 7. Extending downward from this opening is a cylinder of wire gauze designated 8. This extends downward to the bottom of the structure and is connected in any suitable manner to the roof or top. Preferably, it is provided midway of its length with angular flanges 9 which will be soldered or otherwise attached to the cylindrical screen and whose purpose will be later stated.

Disposed within the cylindrical ventilating screen 8 is a cylindrical screen of wire gauze, designated 10, which at its upper end is provided with a conical cap 11, the margin of this cap extending beyond the wire gauze and having approximately the same inclination as the roof or top 6. This cap 11 is imperforate and is made of galvanized sheet metal. The regulating screen 10 with its cap 11 may be raised or lowered to any desired height and is held in adjusted position by means of a sliding catch illustrated in Fig. 3. Preferably this catch consists of a U-shaped piece of wire 12, preferably slightly resilient, the body of the catch being inserted beneath a metallic strap 13. The ends of the U-shaped body portion 12 are outwardly bent and then laterally projected to form screen engaging points 14 which are adapted to be engaged in the meshes of the screen 10. By withdrawing this catch it is obvious that the screen will be disengaged and may be raised or lowered. The catch is then forced forward into engagement with the screen and the screen will be held in its adjusted position. The resilience of the arms of the U-shaped body willhold the catch in position against acci dental detachment.

As a means for supporting a hover cloth so as to convert the brooder into a hover, I mount upon the outer wall 2 the angular flanges 15 which confront the flanges 9. Snugly fitting the screen 8 is a split ring 16 as illustrated in Fig. 2, this ring being contractible and snugly fitting the outer wall 2 is a resiliently expansible ring 17 which is likewise split as at 18. By this arrangement an annular hover cloth 19 may be readily disposed within the brooder and held in position as illustrated in Fig. 1, by theresilient contraction of the ring 16 and the expansion of the ring 17 The structure when in use rests upon a flat surface, as for instance, upon a floor designated generally 20, or it may be mounted upon a base. It will of course be undera bottom of the body,

stood that the fioor or base is to be covered with litter in the usual manner and that the floor is entirely tight and rat-proof. It will be seen that our improved hover is very simply constructed, may be readily cleaned and exposed to the sun and air and that it is fire-proof and rodent proof. It will fur ther be seen that the circulation of air within the hover may be readily regulated by adjusting the central ventilating screen 10.

It is of course obvious that we do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular form of hover or brooder as they may be modified in many ways.

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A hover or brooder comprising a sheet metal body and a sheet metal roof having a ventilating opening, a fixed screen extending downward from the ventilating opening and approximately annular in form, a cylindrical screen disposed within the annular screen and having an impcrforate upper end, said last-named screen being vertically adjustable within the first named screen.

2. A hover and brooder of the character described including a body having a roof, the roof being formed with a ventilating opening, a tubular screen extending downward from the ventilating opening to the a ventilation regulating screen disposed within and fitting the first named screen and vertically adjustable therein, an imperforate cap closing the upper end of the regulating screen, and means Copies of this patent may be obtained for for holding the regulating screen in any ver tically adjusted position.

3. A hover and brooder of the character described including a body having a roof, the roof being formed With a ventilating opening, a cylindrical screen extending downward from the ventilating opening to the bottom of the body, a ventilation regulating screen disposed within and fitting the first named screen and vertically adjustable therein, an imperforate cap closing the upper end of the regulating screen, and means for holding the regulating screen in any vertically adjusted position, said means including a sliding catch mounted upon the roof of the body and having a terminal end adapted to engage in the meshes of the screen.

a. In a hover and brooder, a body having a flange on the inside face of the side wall, a centrally disposed ventilating screen having a flange disposed upon its outer face and confronting the first named flange, and split resilient rings seated on said flanges, one of said rings being resiliently contractible and the other resiliently expansible whereby to support a hover cloth upon said fiangcs.

In testimony whereof we hereunto l'l'l'iX our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

MYRTLE V. FOSTER. IDA PEARL ARMITAGE.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. SMITH, GORA E. MEYERS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

